PHARMACOKINETICS OF METRONIDAZOLE IN GREEN (), LOGGERHEAD (), AND KEMP'S RIDLEY () SEA TURTLES AFTER SINGLE ORAL AND INTRAVENOUS DOSES.

Currently there are few antibacterial dosage regimens established to be safe and effective for sea turtles. Pharmacokinetic evaluation of antibiotics is an essential step in establishing accurate dosage guidelines for a particular species. Metronidazole is an antibiotic that is effective against anaerobic bacteria and some protozoa.

Novel Microsatellite Tags Hold Promise for Illuminating the Lost Years in Four Sea Turtle Species.

After hatching, sea turtles leave the nest and disperse into the ocean. Many years later, they return to their natal coastlines. The period between their leaving and their returning to natal areas, known as the "Lost Years", is poorly understood.

Two New Eimerians from American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis (Crocodilia: Alligatoridae), from Georgia, USA.

Purpose: Little is known about the coccidian parasites of the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis (Daudin). To date, only two species of Eimeria Schneider, 1875 have been previously reported from A. mississippiensis.

PULMONARY AND COELOMIC MYCOSES DUE TO AND SPECIES IN REPTILES.

This report documents cases of fatal pulmonary mycosis caused by entomopathogenic fungi in the genera and (Order Hypocreales) in a loggerhead sea turtle (), a Chinese alligator (), two gopher tortoises (), a Cuvier's dwarf caiman (), a false gharial (), a green sea turtle (), and a Kemp's ridley sea turtle (), and a case of granulomatous coelomitis in a hawksbill sea turtle (). Fungi identified in these cases included , , , , and one case of infection by a novel species. The animals were either housed at zoos or brought into rehabilitation from the wild.

PREVALENCE OF MULTIPLE REPTILIAN PATHOGENS IN THE OROPHARYNGEAL MUCOSA, CLOACAL MUCOSA, AND BLOOD OF DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN (MALACLEMYS TERRAPIN) POPULATIONS FROM MARYLAND AND GEORGIA, USA.

The diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a coastal turtle with a range from Massachusetts to Texas and is the only exclusively brackish water turtle in North America. Two populations of wild terrapins from Maryland (n=55) and Georgia (n=7) were examined and tested for potential reptile pathogens. Whole blood and a mucosal (combined oropharyngeal and cloacal) swab from each animal were evaluated by quantitative PCR for 15 potential pathogens including frog virus 3, box turtle Mycoplasmopsis, Mycoplasma agassizii, Mycoplasma testudineum, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium, Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, tortoise intranuclear coccidia, testudinid alphaherpesvirus 2, terrapene herpesvirus 1, and terrapene adenovirus.

Correction: Turner et al. Steatitis in Cold-Stunned Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles (). 2021, , 898.

In the original publication [...

Fibropapillomatosis and Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 Infection in Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ().

Fibropapillomatosis (FP), a debilitating, infectious neoplastic disease, is rarely reported in endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles (). With this study, we describe FP and the associated chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in Kemp's ridley turtles encountered in the United States during 2006-2020. Analysis of 22 case reports of Kemp's ridley turtles with FP revealed that while the disease was mild in most cases, 54.

BIOMEDICAL EVALUATION OF THE GOLDEN-CROWNED SIFAKA () IN DARAINA, MADAGASCAR.

Complete medical examinations were performed on 25 wild golden-crowned sifaka () from northeastern Madagascar. Each animal received a complete physical examination and weight, body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate were documented. Blood samples were collected for packed cell volume, estimated total white blood cell count, serum biochemical profile, fat-soluble vitamin analysis, trace mineral analysis, and serology.

Health and nutrition of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the southeastern United States.

Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) are opportunistic carnivores that feed primarily on benthic invertebrates and fish. Sea turtle rehabilitation requires provision of a species-specific, balanced diet that supplies nutrition similar to that of a wild diet; this can be challenging because free-ranging loggerheads' diets vary depending on their life stage and geographic location, with predominant prey species dictated by local availability. The goal of this study was to better understand the nutritional needs of subadult and adult loggerheads in rehabilitation.

PHARMACOKINETIC BEHAVIOR OF MELOXICAM IN LOGGERHEAD (), KEMP'S RIDLEY (), AND GREEN () SEA TURTLES AFTER SUBCUTANEOUS ADMINISTRATION.

The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of a single dose of meloxicam administered subcutaneously (SQ) to three species of sea turtles: loggerheads (), Kemp's ridley (), and greens (). A dose of 1 mg/kg was given to the Kemp's ridleys and greens, whereas the loggerheads received 2 mg/kg. After SQ administration, the half-life (t1/2) of meloxicam administered at 1 mg/kg in the Kemp's ridleys was 5.

Steatitis in Cold-Stunned Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ().

The pathogenesis of steatitis that infrequently occurs in cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (KRT; ) has been undetermined. The objectives of this study were to investigate the clinical ( = 23) and histologic findings ( = 11) in cold-stunned KRT, and to compare plasma concentrations of α-tocopherol (vitamin E), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and the TBARS to vitamin E (T/E) ratio (an assessment of oxidative stress) between cold-stunned KRT with clinically and/or histologically confirmed steatitis ( = 10) and free-ranging KRT ( = 9). None of the cold-stunned turtles had clinically detectable steatitis at admission, and the median number of days to diagnosis of steatitis was 71 (range 33–469).

Identifying patterns in foraging-area origins in breeding aggregations of migratory species: Loggerhead turtles in the Northwest Atlantic.

Population assessments conducted at reproductive sites of migratory species necessitate understanding the foraging-area origins of breeding individuals. Without this information, efforts to contextualize changes in breeding populations and develop effective management strategies are compromised. We used stable isotope analysis of tissue samples collected from loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting at seven sites in the Northern Recovery Unit (NRU) of the eastern United States (North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) to assign females to three separate foraging areas in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean (NWA).

Epidemiological Investigation of a Mortality Event in a Translocated Gopher Tortoise () Population in Northwest Florida.

Nokuse Plantation, a 22,055 ha private conservation preserve in northwest Florida, is a recipient site for gopher tortoises translocated from development sites in Florida. Since 2006, Nokuse has received over 5,000 tortoises from multiple development sites. During 2013-2015, 52 tortoises were found sick ( = 14) or dead ( = 38) in multiple soft-release enclosures in which tortoises consistently exhibited clinical signs, with additional sick ( = 5) and dead ( = 5) tortoises presenting similarly during 2016-2017.

Diagnosis and Surgical Management of a Paratesticular Cyst in a Rehabilitating Juvenile Male Green Turtle ().

A juvenile green turtle () undergoing rehabilitation for cold stunning exhibited an asymmetric bulging of the left caudal plastron and was diagnosed with a large intra-coelomic mass based on radiographical findings. Ultrasonography further identified a fluid-filled structure within the caudal coelom. Cytological evaluation of fluid obtained from the structure was consistent with a transudate, and thus, a cyst of unknown origin was suspected.

Pathogen Surveillance and Detection of Ranavirus () in Translocated Gopher Tortoises ().

Emerging pathogens may pose additional threats to already vulnerable populations of chelonians, such as gopher tortoises (). In response to a mortality event on a translocation site in northwest Florida, US during 2013-15, 13 gopher tortoises were necropsied and their tissues were screened for 12 pathogens, including , , and -like ranavirus (FV3). The DNA of FV3 was detected via quantitative PCR in the gastrointestinal tract of three tortoises.

The effect of diet on the gastrointestinal microbiome of juvenile rehabilitating green turtles (Chelonia mydas).

Threatened and endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are unique because as juveniles they recruit from pelagic to near-shore waters and shift from an omnivorous to primarily herbivorous diet (i.e. seagrass and algae).

-Like Coccidia Infecting Green Turtles (): An Emerging Disease With Evidence of Interoceanic Dissemination.

Protozoa morphologically consistent with sp. are one of the few pathogens associated with episodic mass mortality events involving free-ranging sea turtles. Parasitism of green turtles () by these coccidia and associated mortality was first reported in maricultured turtles in the Caribbean during the 1970s.

ADVANCING TRANSFUSION MEDICINE IN SEA TURTLES: OPTIMIZATION OF A CROSS-MATCHING PROTOCOL.

Whole blood transfusions are an essential treatment modality during rehabilitation of stranded sea turtles, however, standardized protocols for transfusions are not available in reptile medicine. The objective of this study was to optimize a cross-matching protocol for sea turtle blood transfusions. Fresh venous blood samples from 15 turtles ( = 14 green turtles, [Cm]; = 1 loggerhead sea turtle, [Cc]) were tested using a temperature-appropriate (i.

A novel host-adapted strain of Salmonella Typhimurium causes renal disease in olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the Pacific.

Salmonella spp. are frequently shed by wildlife including turtles, but S. enterica subsp.

COMPARISON OF HEMATOLOGICAL, PLASMA BIOCHEMICAL, AND NUTRITIONAL ANALYTES OF REHABILITATING AND APPARENTLY HEALTHY FREE-RANGING ATLANTIC GREEN TURTLES ().

Green turtles () are unique because hatchlings and pelagic juveniles are carnivorous, whereas later life stages become primarily herbivorous. Although this dietary shift is well understood, nutritional requirements at each developmental stage are not. Diet selection during rehabilitation is challenging, because turtles are often fed high-protein, low-fiber diets to counteract poor appetite and emaciation, which can result in gastrointestinal disorders.

Plasma Bleomycin Concentrations during Electrochemotherapeutic Treatment of Fibropapillomas in Green Turtles Chelonia mydas.

Fibropapillomatosis of sea turtles is traditionally treated with surgical debulking techniques that are often associated with prolonged healing and tumor recurrence. Electrochemotherapy was recently described for green turtles Chelonia mydas and can be an alternative to surgery and even general anesthesia. The objectives of this study were to replicate an electrochemotherapy protocol from a previous report and add plasma bleomycin analysis to the treatment.

Taxonomic and conservation implications of population genetic admixture, mito-nuclear discordance, and male-biased dispersal of a large endangered snake, Drymarchon couperi.

Accurate species delimitation and description are necessary to guide effective conservation of imperiled species, and this synergy is maximized when multiple data sources are used to delimit species. We illustrate this point by examining Drymarchon couperi (Eastern Indigo Snake), a large, federally-protected species in North America that was recently divided into two species based on gene sequence data from three loci and heuristic morphological assessment. Here, we re-evaluate the two-species hypothesis for D.

Serum-based inhibition of pitviper venom by eastern indigo snakes ().

When organisms possess chemical defenses, their predators may eventually evolve resistance to their toxins. Eastern indigo snakes (; EIS) prey on pitvipers and are suspected to possess physiological resistance to their venom. In this study, we formally investigated this hypothesis using microassays that measured the ability of EIS blood sera to inhibit (A) hemolytic and (B) snake venom metalloproteinase (SVMP) activity of copperhead () venom.